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Order of Monastics
"Only in silence can you hear the deafening roar of life." The Order of Monastics stretch back into time immemorial, it seems these ascetic Adepts have always existed in one form or another on the fringes of society. Monastics are Adepts who sought to separate themselves from daily life and the world in order to search for deeper truth in the knowledge of being alone with God. Aspect of God: Hidden Truth AKA: Monks, the Brotherhood. Monastic Degrees Puzzles Roar of Silence Meditation Facts: - Monastics do not normally favor weapons, years of martial arts training has left them quite capable with God's given equipment (the Monks' own hands and feet). -Monk powers revolve around telekinesis, the hidden truths of existence, and self-mastery. -Monks are highly trained, often well educated by their own Orders (although what a Monastic means by 'education' is often different from what the modern world means by that word). Each Monk is assigned very specific tasks and so he will have at least one or two trade skills (butchering, administration, management, accounting, mechanical upkeep, plumbing, etc.). -The Order of Monks is a highly organized one, and very united as well. A Monastic from one part of the world can walk into any monastery anywhere else and be sure of a warm welcome. -Monastics are schooled in ancient arts of mysticism and theology. -Monastics are common among faiths of the Abrahamic tradition but they are also common within pagan Tribes as well. Of course, the one Chapter most associated with the Monastics would have to be the Ghosts of Catholicism. Monasteries: Monastics usually live either solitary lives of contemplation and self-training, or they live communally in monasteries. Monasteries are organized around a head Monk, whose title is equal to that of most Chapter leaders. Monks live lives of discipline, fasting and spiritual discernment, spending great amounts of time in prayer and silence as they search inwardly for the Face of The Almighty. This isn't to say that Monks won't be encountered, however: many Monasteries choose to live in urban environments, doing ministry among the poor and needy. Other Monks may decide to leave their monastery for a time and travel the world, doing good wherever they can. Some of these find groups of Adepts and decide to remain there, using the skills and disciplined they learned among their Brotherhood to strengthen their fellow Adepts. Vows: One of the more memorable features of the Order of Monastics, certainly one of the most characterized, is the taking of vows. Countless cartoons and jokes have been made about monks and the vow of silence or the vow of chastity, but the truth is that vows are designed simultaneously to promote group unity and test the discipline of the particular Monastic taking them. The vows of poverty, chastity and obedience are the most common, certainly within Christian circles. They are designed to keep a Monastic humble and disciplined as well as to keep the monastery's community from developing dangerous excesses based on human desires. Monastic Holidays: Most people don't know this, but Monastics have a rich tradition of celebrating holidays, both those religious as well as secular. Famous saints even left explicit instructions to throw lavish parties for major holy days and events. Book-Keepers Day = Write down all the accounts of forgiveness you've done. This holiday was originally a spiritual practice of early monastic communities but was later adopted after the birth of Christianity. The point is to challenge oneself to see how merciful one truly is. Breaking of The Vessels = Ritual for neophytes, symbolic of their journey to full admission. After a new Monastic has undergone his forty day initiation, a ceremony is held where he creates a clay jar, representative of his former life, and throws it from the top of the monastery, effectively breaking ties to his worldly self and entering his second life. Night of the Fool King = Competition of some kind, in medieval times it was jousting and sword fighting, but in modern times it is more commonly paintball and racing sports. The point is, the winners - one male and one female - are crowned the Fool King and Fool Queen for the night. They are given their own royal chairs and court and anything they command must be done (within reason). Their "reign" ends at sunrise. Night Pilgrimage = Pilgrimage on foot at night. When the sun sets, the Monastics congregate and travel, usually on foot, to a certain location of religious significance. The senior Monastic present gives a speech to address problems and uplift morale. Then they return home and a twenty-four hour time of silence is observed for reflection. Dead of Winter = Huge bonfire, partying out in the cold air, all to show that the Monastics are the children of life even in the midst of the time of death. This holiday is especially popular among monasteries with enclosed courtyards or those located in more private areas. Factions: -Stylites = A largely defunct Faction, these Monastics once practiced deep meditation and mental training while living for extended periods atop a single pillar-like structure. A few still survive, aged and wizened Adepts who live out their days in the most unreachable of localities. -Ahimsa = An Eastern Faction to the Order, the Ahimsa practice the ancient fighting arts of early monks who sought to protect themselves from bandits. Kung Fu was first developed by members of the Ahimsa. -Scriptorium = Much knowledge has survived the passing of centuries because ancient monks bothered to write it down and keep it. The spiritual descendants of those monks call themselves the Scriptorium and in an information age like today, they have alligned themselves closely with the Order of Heralds, both to seed greater knowledge as wellas record and safeguard information for future generations. And to safeguard the millennia of secret knowledge they've accumulated. -Shao Lin = These Monastics concentrate on the art of Shao Lin to better equip themselves to battle evil. References: -http://thefranciscanfamily.blogspot.com/ -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1899285/ -http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/history/monasticism.htm -http://www.pinterest.com/benjaminstyles7/monks/ -http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10459a.htm -http://shaolin-kungfu.com/training/kung-fu-styles -http://www.sinaimonastery.com/en/index.php?lid=3 -http://www.inathos.gr/athos/en/ -http://www.ocso.org/